I have been using Cubase since VST 5.0, and just upgraded to Cubase 4 when I got my MacBook in October. I have used DP and Logic Express also, but not nearly as much as Cubase.

Honestly, in terms of audio quality, you're fine either way. Each program has its own interface quirks and you pretty much just have to decide what's important to you.

To me, Cubase is the program that tries to act like an actual recording setup the most. It behaves very much like a 4-track, which is what I came from, so I immediately picked up on it. DP and Logic both act more like computer programs that *allow* you to record audio and MIDI and stuff, but you have to learn their interface to do it. I can move really, really fast in Cubase. Of course there's people who will say that DP is more intuitive or Logic is better or what have you. But that's my opinion.

Also, I think Cubase is just a bit more mature when it comes to recording audio. DP and Logic are geared way more toward MIDI and virtual instruments. So, if you use those features, or would like to, maybe look a little more closely at DP or Logic. I mostly record audio, so Cubase is good enough for me.

That said, for use with a MacBook, be aware that Cubase needs to use a USB key to work. And in my experience you need to have the USB key actually attached to one of the computer's USB ports rather than on a hub. So that means you lose one of the two USB ports on the MacBook. Also it's something to keep track of and potentially lose in your backpack. As far as I know Logic also uses a USB key and DP does not require one.

Both Cubase 4 and DP 5 come with printed manuals. Yay.

I will probably only be recording audio. My main concern is the audio quality and flexibility as far as sending stuff in and out of the box for mixing, analog effects, etc. I want the option to mix out of the box without any problems. But I also wanna be able to mix in the box without mixes sounding "flat" or "squashed" as they often sound to me form friends' Cubase mixes.

In Cubase, you can set up external effects and then use them exactly as you would software effects. They appear as options in the insert drop-downs (although obviously without the parameter options).

Not sure if DP or Logic does that.

just Ordered:

Apple MacBook -2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB, 80GB Serial ATA drive @ 5400 rpm , Superdrive

I'm excited!

will prolly just try out different "demos" first before buying DP or Cubase.

core duo 2 with two chips of 1gb ddr2.
This one is going to fast for you..

dre wrote:Cubase needs to use a USB key to work. And in my experience you need to have the USB key actually attached to one of the computer's USB ports rather than on a hub.

This is preposterous. Regardless of whether it's the assertion or the actual program, it is preposterous.

There are two potential reasons why a USB device will not work from a hub. One is that the device consumes too much power, in which case, getting a powered USB Hub solves the problem. The other is that the device requires high speed data transfer rates, which may be potentially bottle-necked by the other devices attached to the hub.

It seems pretty inefficient of Cubase to be polling the USB key constantly (the only way a USB Key would need high data transfer rates), so I'm skeptical of if that's actually the case. If you do indeed need to plug the dongle into an onboard usb port, this speaks volumes as to how Cubase is programmed, and leaves the door open for other possible processor wasters and inefficiencies.

iLok keys and the Logic XSKey both work from hubs.

and fwiw, Logic also comes with a few big books to learn from.

cubase dongles (and other USB keys) are working just fine with USB hubs, but if you encounter a problem and don't know how to solve it, plug it straight to the computer's port.

I have not once attached the dongle directly to the on-board USB port. It runs on a powered hub with a 4 other USB devices.

Never encountered a problem.

Re: my experiences with the Cubase dongle....

I have had numerous issues where the software will crash and say, "error in protection device" and the only fix is to plug the dongle into a usb port that is directly attached to the computer. I've tried powered USB hubs from Belkin and D-Link (both fairly reputable on the Mac side) and still got the errors. I will say that I only experienced these errors on my Power Mac G5 and not on my MacBook, so of course it's possible that there's something weird on the Power Mac that's making that happen. Or maybe it's the particular USB key that I have that's flakey. Who knows.

From what I've been told, the Syncrosoft USB key that Steinberg uses draws a LOT of power (500mA if I remember correctly) and Cubase polls the dongle quite frequently. I'd consider the particular dongle that Cubase uses to be a big disadvantage for the software compared to DP, since DP doesn't use any dongle at all, just a serial number. Against Logic Pro it's probably a draw, but I'm not familiar enough with that to make a judgement. It's not a deal-breaker for me but it's just something to keep in mind if you have the opportunity to start fresh with a DAW, as TheMilford seems to have here.

Also, FWIW in my mixes I find I get more depth when I actually record the output of the mix to another DAW than when I do an "export audio mixdown" in Cubase. I can't really place it exactly, and I've really only tested this thoroughly on Cubase SX2 and SX3, but I feel like I definitely gain something by NOT using the "export audio mixdown" function.

dre wrote:Also, FWIW in my mixes I find I get more depth when I actually record the output of the mix to another DAW than when I do an "export audio mixdown" in Cubase. I can't really place it exactly, and I've really only tested this thoroughly on Cubase SX2 and SX3, but I feel like I definitely gain something by NOT using the "export audio mixdown" function.

Can you elaborate on this.

Thanks,